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MW2: A console game in PC clothing

Written by jockyitch

Monday, 20 July 2009

Somehow, deep inside I knew that someone who considers the Secret of Monkey Island on
XBLA (XBox Live Arcade), to be "a must have classic!", is not going to
be looking after the needs of PC gamers. If you don't follow
Fourzerotwo's tweets on Twitter, you probably missed that gem...

Back in the CoD4 days, Fourzerotwo, Infinity Ward's community manager,
was not known to have really cosied-up to us mouse wielders. Looks like
that trend continues.

For months, I've been harping at how IW treats the
PC community: as though we were suffering from halitosis. Many have
ignored the comments...is that due to the huge impact CoD4 has had on
PC gaming? Does IW deserve a pass? Is it acceptable to continue getting
second rate treatment?

Remember the CoD4 Beta back in '07? While XBox gamers got nearly a
month head start towards carpal tunnel syndrome with CoD4 MP, PC gamers
got to play a visually, less-than-stunning, SP level for a few days
before the game's release.

The game's awesomeness seems to blind some in
the PC community at the double standard being shown by IW towards us. I
say 'some' because there are others who have been saying this for years.

When developers show as little interest as IW has had in the PC
platform...it is no wonder that the PC user base feels shunned and is
beginning to leave. Some of us do have some self-respect after all.

Though far from perfect in PC-support, contrast the
difference between CoD:WW's attitudes towards us and IW's. Regardless
of what you might think of CoD:WW, Treyarch at least made the effort to
think of PC gamers. Yes they have made many technical missteps in
CoD:WW, but on a relative basis, they really did try to cater to us.
For example,

- PC gamers got an MP Beta - not true in CoD4
- Co-op Zombie mode was provided for both console gamers and PC gamers alike.
- Same was true for the "prestiging" - not true in CoD4
- Criticisms by PC competitive and pub players, scripter and mapper
alike have stung Treyarch, but they have learned from their mistakes:

Though /record was initially missing - it was provided in subsequent patches

CoDTV support offered to competitive gamers

Improved maps reflected comments made by competitive players
Sound issues in the game, though too difficult to fix in CoD:WW, will be considered in their next game

Treyarch has consistently sought out companies to sponsor their DLC's so that PC gamers could get them for free.

Treyarch's terrible early record in providing timely Linux Bin and Mod
Tool support seems to have completely turned around. Patch v1.5 saw an
unprecedented set of deliverables from Treyarch: The patch itself (900+
Mb), four new maps, Mod Tools update, Linux Bins and Steam update ---
all provided on the same day in a nearly seamless fashion.

Given how they were faring with the PC community eight months ago, I think Treyarch deserves the "comeback-kid" award.

As weak as Activision's support for the PC platform has been, do any of
us in this community think that IW will provide us even with the same level of service as we have seen Treyarch provide?

Jokingly, in BASH 111 I said we should have a drinking game based
around anyone at IW saying the word "PC" - and if we did, it would take
years before anyone got drunk.

Well...in the five months since the MW2 full-court media press
started, you could have finally taken your first sip towards
inebriation during the Youtube vid of the great Prestige-Edition
unboxing. Oh...and the use of the word "PC" was only indirect at best.

Will the CoD community be able to withstand the continued
ambivalence towards us by the publisher and devs of this game? Or will
we simply be left on the side of the road one day (...a not so subtle
nod to the Wii gamers looking on with melancholy).

We led off this rant with SpacePig's query to fourzerotwo, so I will let him have the final word:

"I played a lot of videogames until I tried a new game that came out named Call Of Duty. I was intrigued. A bit later they released the expansion pack UO, I got it and loved it. Never played another game.

I the waited and bought CoD2, CoD4:MW and CoD:waw. I have never bought any other games since UO.

Someone gave me Brothers in Arms
and some other games for birthdays and they are still unopened. At the
same time as I am saying that I love this game series I am not saying
that I always think that the developers are treating us with respect.
By "us" I mean the pc players.

While I get daily emails from
people who ask if we will make OW for MW2 because if not, they wont
bother buying it...I also have people like JD (JD_2020 CM at Treyarch)
making public posts about how messed up OpenWarfare is, based on the
fact that Treyarch devs only got around to testing cod:waw mp on a
dedicated server five months after release!

However, I still try to give them props since I do
appreciate the work they try to achieve even if the results are not
always apparent.

And yes, I am also not always that nice to them either.

In summary, I am confident in saying that there are lots of people like
me that are solid fans, pc players, of the Call of Duty series. And no,
the likelihood for me to switch to a console to be able to enjoy it to
the fullest is not very high.